Time to track Amit Shah, Azam Khan on new media

LUCKNOW: The ban on BJP’s Amit Shah and SP’s Azam Khan from campaigning in UP would probably hurt the saffron party more than the SP. The EC action has come as a sudden blow even as the poll campaign was just gaining momentum.

Shah, who was specifically tasked by Narendra Modi to revive the party in UP, was not a star campaigner addressing rallies every day. In fact, he has addressed only one rally in Kanpur, that too last year. But, he was the main strategist and poll manager of the party in the state. The ban on his meetings with people will affect the BJP as Shah was the only unifying person in a state where the party is deeply divided. He was the one who, with his heft and direct access to Modi, was able to iron out differences between senior leaders and give a clear message to workers.

Meanwhile, the UP government is planning Shah’s arrest after authorities filed two FIRs against him over speeches that deemed to have stoked communal tensions and the EC strictures.

All his programmes for the next few days have been cancelled. Shah’s visit to Varanasi has also been cancelled. Shah’s dependence on social media, traditional media, print and TV would also increase.

But for SP, Khan is not the sole Muslim leader. The SP leadership also plans Khan’s increased presence on social and traditional TV and print media to beat the EC ban orders. Khan told ET: "Does the EC feel that my voice will not reach people after this ban? It will still go far. We have plans."